It’s spring! Although here in Northeast Ohio it doesn’t feel much like spring today with gray skies and chilly rain. I hear those birds chirping outside which is helping me to remember that spring weather is on it’s way!
Spring is the perfect time to give yourself, and your space, a little bit of a reboot. It’s a great opportunity to look around – to survey your space – and to decide what you need to clear out, clean up and refresh.
The thing that’s so interesting about spring cleaning is that while you look to declutter, clean and refresh your physical environment, you’ll start to notice other forms of “space” that need a little springtime tlc too.
You might notice that it’s time to change up your thinking, your goals, your daily routine or even your relationships. You might feel the need to set some new boundaries or to let some things that are weighing you down go.
As you use the room by room guide below to help you clear out, clean up and refresh your space, ask yourself what other areas of your life need some attention too. It’s amazing how cleaning out your sock drawer can also help you to clean out other areas of your life! It might feel a little unnerving to take this next step into some deep spring cleaning, but you’ll be surprised at how much lighter you feel once you do!
You can approach this list in one of two ways. Set aside a day or a weekend to do a spring cleaning deep dive OR commit to 15 – 20 minutes of spring cleaning 3-4 days each week. This honestly depends on how you work best, the size of the project and your schedule.
This past week I focused on those short bursts of spring cleaning and tackled smaller projects like the pantry, fridge, freezer, my makeup drawer and vanity. Over the weekend I’m focusing on bigger projects like my closet, the hall closet and the storage area in our basement.
Be flexible and do what works best for you!
Room by Room Spring Cleaning Guide
First, use this guide to do a quick survey of your space. Grab a blank piece of paper and create a little spring cleaning to do list. Divide the page into 3 columns – clear out, clean up & refresh and shopping list. Under the clear out column list out the declutter projects – by quickest/easiest to most in depth. Under the clean up& refresh column list out any areas to clean, replace or refresh. Under the shopping list column list out any items you need to pick up next time you’re out and about.
Kitchen:
Clear out
Pantry
Fridge
Freezer
Clean up & Refresh
Dishwasher
Oven
Shopping List
New dish towels
Pantry/fridge staples
Coffee filter
Water filter
Sponge
In the kitchen toss any old or expired food, anything you don’t really like but keep in case you some day decide to completely change your taste or become a master chef. Be sure to wipe down shelves and put things back in an organized way. Try glass containers in your pantry which makes things look and feel much cleaner and more organized – just be sure to label with important info such as product name and expiration date.
This is also a great time to clean your oven and dishwasher, along with any other appliances you don’t regularly clean. Be sure to wipe off cabinet doors and handles too.
Toss any broken appliances, or donate what you don’t use (that juicer is not helping you out any by just hanging out on the counter). Look at your silverware, glasses, plates, etc – keep only what you love, need or use. The chopsticks you have for “someday” when you host a Thai inspired dinner party – go ahead and let those go.
Repurpose old and dingy dish towels – move them to the garage or laundry for things like wiping the dogs feet or cleaning outdoor furniture.
Replace anything you actually need, love or use on a regular basis. This is also a great time to grab some tulips for your kitchen counter and put out some bright dishtowels!
Laundry:
Clear out
Cleaning products
Laundry products
Clean up & Refresh
Washer
Dryer
Shopping List
Dryer balls
In our house, socks are always going missing, which means we have a collection of single socks. If you have a random collection of “I’ll get to it later” or “maybe I’ll find the missing piece someday” items – socks, string, safety pins – whatever, take the time now to go ahead and toss or donate those items. If you haven’t used or found what you needed to make it useful by now, let-it-go!
Wipe off and clean out your appliances, utility sink and cabinetry. If you keep any pet related items in here, be sure to clean those out too. If you keep old towels here, decide if you actually need as many as you have (probably not). Baseboard tend to get extra funky, especially if you feed your pet in your laundry or keep shoes here, so remember to wipe those down!
Living Room:
Clear out
Magazines
Bookshelves
Clean up & Refresh
Throw pillows
Blankets
Seasonal decor
Shopping List
Plants and/or flowers
The living room is often the most lived in space which means it can have pockets of collection zones. Notice where these spots are for you and clean those out now. This also tends to be the space where you can really tap into the feeling of the season with a few small changes. Something as simple as opening your blinds a little bit more or putting away the heavy wool throw and replacing it with a light weight cotton one.
Look around your space and think spring – see what ideas come to you – maybe a lilac candle or a new succulent for your bookshelf. These simple little shifts make a big difference, especially after you’ve taken the time to really clean (dust off, wipe down and declutter) this space!
Being in here will feel like a breath of fresh air!
Office:
Clear out
Emails
Phone apps/photos
Receipts/bills
File folder
Clean up & Refresh
Desktop
Bookshelves
Shopping List
Seasonal cards (birthdays, holidays)
The office, or spare bedroom, tend to be huge collection zones. They’re an easy space to just close the door and forget about it so they become really overwhelming to step into. Here’s the thing though, you know what’s behind that closed door and every single time you walk by it, you get a little ding of “ugh, I can’t even” happening. Rip that bandaid off my friend, and do not – I repeat do not – be afraid to throw things away.
It’s easy to think you have to keep every piece of paper but these days, most things are electronic. That security of hanging onto every single thing really just creates a whole lot of chaos for you. This is a great time to go through all the papers you’ve kept over the past year and decide what you actually need to keep, file those items in an organized way, and then shred the rest.
Also review your file folders and keep only what’s currently relevant to your career and life.
Declutter your tech relationship this spring too! So many of us are connected 24/7 to our phones. What boundaries are you ready to set when it comes to 1. What you pay attention to online/on your phone and 2. How accessible you are. The fastest way to stop feeling like you’re “on” all the time, and constantly being pulled in a million different directions, is by no longer being available 24/7.
Bedroom:
Clear out
Nightstand
Closet
Jewelry
Bags (purse, briefcase, gym bag)
Clean up & Refresh
Bedding
Shopping List
The bedroom is another place that it’s easy to create a seasonal feel particularly with bedding and clothing. Put away any heavy bedding and exchange it for something with a lighter feel – for example from flannel sheets to cotton. Open up your blinds and bring in some fresh flowers.
Switch out and re-organize your clothing. Move darker and heavier items out, or too the back, and bring out the lighter, brighter spring and summer wear. Re-fold or re-hang your clothes before putting away. One of my favorite closet decluttering tips is to keep a shopping bag on the floor in your closet. As you pass over the same shirt or pair of pants over and over again, take it off the shelf and drop it in the bag – you’re obviously not wearing it, so let it go!
Once the bag is full, drop it off to donate. This can be easier to do vs. analyzing everything all at once – if that’s your strategy (I do a combo of both) keep in mind that you’ll tend to keep more at the end of the season with a (maybe I will wear that next year) mentality! You’ll become a more thoughtful buyer as you stay up to date with what you wear – it helps you to be more in tune with your style and ultimately reduce those impulse buys.
Bathroom:
Clear out
Makeup drawer
Clean up & Refresh
Makeup brushes
Fragrances
Shopping List
Mascara
Toothbrush
There’s nothing quite like a clean and clutter free bathroom. This is one of the first places you see in the morning and one of the last places you see at night. This is the place where you get ready to start the day or go to relax and reset after a long day – it’s important to keep this space clean and clutter free.
Don’t forget about your car – get a detailed wash inside and out, and your garage too!
Be vigilant about what you allow into (and keep) in your space – everything either contributes to or takes away from the experience you want to have in your life. Open up those windows, put on some good music and dive on in!
Spring cleaning only comes around once a year. Taking the time now to declutter, clean and refresh your space will help you to move through the rest of the year feeling lighter and more open and organized. You’ll be amazed at the difference this makes with how you feel mentally and emotionally – like you’ve instantly freed up so much time and space!